Need advice on Tele pickups.

[JohnnyN]

New to Teles, but not to fiddling with electric guitars  :)
Recently I bought a Squier Standard Tele as my entry to Telecasters.

Now I want to replace the pickups. The stock ones are not really bad, but the bridge could use a bit more "body" in lack of better terms. The neck could do with more details. Both are not balanced like I would like them too - either low strings are a bit muddy or the highs a bit too shrill (almost ice pickey). Yes to having played with pickup height, volume and tone control, and replacing the pots.
This guitar have a maple neck with rosewood (9.5" radius) fretboard. Body is made of Agathis which (according to Google) should be something between Alder and Pine as a tonewood. Unplugged there is good details and sustain.

I'm a hobbyist and not a pro, and play mostly blues/rockblues, classic rock and bit of country just for kicks. My amp is a Laney VC15 with a  10" Greenback.
I've been looking at several options, and am tempted to buy a set of Bare Knuckles, which I consider an investment of it's own that can be moved to another Tele. So it's not just to "sink money in a cheap guitar" :)

So I've been looking at the Yardbird Tele set (I love Alcnico IV in humbuckers) and they seems to fit the bill. Only concern is: Will they be too mid heavy in this particular guitar?
Maybe the Blackguard '55 is a better choice for this guitar. Roy Fulton can make anything sound good, but I am really impressed with his demo of the BG '55.

Any help, advice and suggestions about these or other BKP Tele pickups will be aappreciated  :)

[Telerocker]

Hi and welcome

If I were you, I would sell the standard and buy a Squier Classic Vibe Custom. They are put together better and have better tonewoods and necks. The alnico-III pickups in the Classic Vibe sound quite nice . I bought recently one for my nephew and was even tempted to buy one myself.

Upgrade: for the styles you mention, I would look at the Blackguard 52 or 55-set.

[JohnnyN]

Thanks Telerocker.
Actually I picked the Standard over the Classic Vibe. I found the neck too thin and narrow for my liking on the CV's I tried.
But you're right about the CV's generally being made with better parts, and thanks again for your advice  :)

[Telerocker]

I have only experience with the 52-set. Neck is quite stratty (which I like), bridge has enough balls to play some serious rock.

[Gary_Goo]

I have Brown Sugars in an Alder with Maple/Rosewood neck Custom Shop 1960 reissue and they sound like they might fit the bill for you.
They're bright and punchy at the bridge and warm, woody and clear at the neck like a good tele pickup should be, but they don't have icepick highs and they are generally just a bit chunkier with a bit more output than a standard tele set. They're great clean and dirty, so definitely not just one trick pony stuff and bridge, neck and middle positions are all different, but very useable sounds.
I haven't had any experience of the Yardbirds, but get the impression they're more suited to brighter Ash/Maple fingerboard teles.

[JohnnyN]

Thanks Gary!
Well I just discovered that the bridge pickup in Squier Standard is the type with slugs and ceramic bar magnet underneath  :(
So I guess anything will be an improvement.

I have a Parts Tele project in the drawer, so I'll save the investment in a great set of BKP for that.

Thanks you for taking time to reply, and have a pleasant day  :)

[Gary_Goo]

No problem at all. Just re-read your original post and the Brown Sugars sound perfect for you. They're bright enough to twang for a bit of country, but have the extra push for a bit of rockin blues or classic rock. They do an amazing Led Zep actually. Teles can be pretty sensitive to pickup choices and something like the 52 tele set that would sound great in an ash/maple tele could make a alder/rosewood tele sound a bit lifeless and dull. There are always guitar that are exceptions to any rule and its all preference at the end of the day, but I've tried a load of different pickups in my 3 teles (BKPs and others) and generally the BKP recommendations (i.e. works in ash/maple, alder/rosewood etc.) are pretty much spot on.

[Telerocker]

BG52-set (actually the old BG50-set, which is now the BG52-set) works fine in my Fender American Series alder and rosewood board telecaster.

[BigB]

something like the 52 tele set that would sound great in an ash/maple tele could make a alder/rosewood tele sound a bit lifeless and dull. There are always guitar that are exceptions to any rule

The you can count mine as the second exception (first one being Telerocker's) - the 52 set sounds stellar in my alder/rosewood MiJ Custom 62 RI.